Cultivating an Attitude of Wonder
By: Rebekah Dell
How can we develop a clear understanding of what wonder is, the role it can play in our lives and how to design a life that embraces an attitude of wonder?
The dictionary defines “wonder” as:
“a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.”
“rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience.”
With these definitions as a base, we can begin to explore how to experience wonder, what can hinder it, and unpack its impact on our lives.
Monica Parker, author of the book The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn and Lead points out the importance of understanding the word wonder as both a noun and a verb, a process and an outcome. She points to five interlinking elements in what she calls the Wonder Cycle. I found these elements to be incredibly helpful as I broke down my understanding of wonder and its place in our lives.
The five steps of the Wonder Cycle are Watch, Wander, Whittle, Wow, and Whoa.
1. Watch (or openness): means to be present and observant. Watchers observe the world, taking nothing for granted. If we aren’t watching, if our field of vision is too narrow, we become blind to the opportunities for wonder around us.
Jamie Beck is an artist whose craft I truly enjoy and her perspective and work captures the spirit of presence and observation in a captivating way - it has opened an incredible window of beauty to the world. After stepping away from a thriving photography business in New York (seriously, her list of clients is impressive) for what was supposed to be a one year sabbatical, she now lives Provence, in the south of France, with her family and as her bio states, “she has curated a life of creation”. Her subjects are simple. The detail is great. She creates great beauty from the ordinary. When talking about her life and work, Jamie states:
“I always describe my time and experience in Provence as being reawakened to childlike wonder. As if I am seeing everything anew for the first time, and it’s… magical! That appreciation for the daily life things that are all around us—the peaches at the market, the butterfly perched on a flower, the blue light cascading down a hillside on the way home, that is what I want people to see and feel when they look at my work. How beautiful life, the life we all have access to every day, truly is.” - Jaime Beck
While my example comes from an artist, watching isn’t just for creatives. It’s for scientists, journalists, mathematicians, musicians, and athletes. The power of observation and presence can set its sights on any detail of our world.
How can we foster this openness to continuingly observing the world with fresh eyes? In my own life it has meant slowing down, creating space, and using reflection to sharpen my senses.
Picking my yes’s and my no’s, and building in rhythms of reflection are two practical ways I try to create space to be present, open, and watchful. You have to be engaging in the world around you - living, doing, thinking, feeling. If you jam pack your days, what space do you have left to observe anything around you?
What do I mean by picking my yes’s and my no’s? I’m talking about sitting down and asking yourself what you need to commit to in order to reinforce attitudes and achieve goals that will help you build an intentional, purpose-driven life.
2. Wander (curiosity): Eagerly engaging with the world, being comfortable with the twists and turns of life, and always exploring, searching, questioning, challenging, discovering, discerning, and contemplating. Training yourself to see the world with the eye of a child and an eager beginner’s mind. Think of this as the expansion stage where all that you observe closely begins to expand your world and sharpen your senses. It could also mean being willing to try things out even if it’s just for a season. Taking risks because your curiosity has led you to try something new.
Ladies, be curious. Dream! Ask yourself regularly how you can expand your knowledge and understanding of the world. You don’t have to buy a plane ticket (though I highly recommend it!). Often it is as simple as picking up a book or finding a new spot to explore close to home.
When I was a senior here at Hillsdale, I participated in our Student Leadership Workshop. In that class, we were asked to complete a life Bucket List 100 items long.
I didn’t realize it at the time but in the act of making that list, I was growing my sense of curiosity and priming my drive to never stop exploring and growing. I rediscovered that list a few years ago and to my surprise I had checked off ¾ of the things on it! Wow, was that surprise and a good feeling. It was a gift for me to look back and appreciate the life I was living and a real moment of wonder - both the process and the outcome.
Build your own bucket list someday.
3. Whittle (absorption): The state of absorption is where you start to focus in and be fully present in your surroundings or on that thing that has captured your senses. Someone high in absorption has big feelings and is easily moved by the thing that has their attention because they are focused.
Multi-tasking and disorganization are sneaky enemies of this stage. I’d like to challenge you to consider how single-tasking and bringing a little more order into your life could open up space for you to mentally and physically be present, focused, and absorb what is around you. A few ideas to jumpstart your thinking are:
Keep a clean room (don’t underestimate the power of making your bed!)
Get organized
Put your phone away while studying
Find a planner that works for you- and use it!
Make a weekly date with yourself or a friend to reflect on what worked and didn’t work in the last week then pencil in a plan for the next.
4. Wow: This is where we are challenged by something so vast that our mind struggles to make sense of it. It’s that catch in your breath.
5. Whoa: This is the moment when we let out a long sigh and have the sense (or even say out loud) “WHOA” and that moment can find its way into changing us or the way we perceive the world around us. It’s the exhale of wonder.
But if we think back to the dictionary definitions of wonder, it isn’t exclusively experienced on the mountaintops when life is calm, ordered, and happy. It can also be experienced in life’s valleys of waiting, uncertainty, and challenge.
Can wonder really exist when things are uncertain, hard, and scary? I think the answer is yes and I’m learning that a sense of wonder in a place of hardship helps us be open to the idea that something awe inspiring, new or currently unfathomable may rise up. The anticipation of wonder can help us wait and recognize what can grow in the difficult space.
In my late 20s, I was firmly established in my career with a community of friends I loved, and the time and opportunity to travel the world. Yet, I couldn’t shake the sense of the “in between”. You know that feeling where you’re between highs, in between accomplishments? Life is routine - good, but nothing special? Or maybe it’s in that time of unmet expectations, of waiting for that thing you hope will happen, the thing that when it comes all will fall into place or you’ll hit the next level of life?
The in between or the “…” of life as I sometimes like to call it, makes up much of our life. Understanding how to embrace this season and the possible wonder in it is important. In that late 20s stage of life, I read a book titled Anonymous: Jesus Hidden Years…And Yours by Alicia Britt Chole, and it challenged me to think of waiting in a new light. As Dr. Chole summarizes her book she states,
“Great things can happen in the waiting but we need to be looking. What is being cultivated in that space may be crucial in preparing us for when we are placed in the spotlight, the moments we are called to act or lead.”Wait for the Lord’s timing. Don’t approach a season of waiting with an eager eye for how and when it is going to end. Ask yourself this important question: What is unique and special in this season of life that I may never be able to experience in the same way in a different stage of my life?
This article is transcribed from Ms. Dell’s keynote message at the Curate 2024 Submit: Wonder
